Tickets from Sheffield to catch a flight from Gatwick

[Justin Smith]

Perhaps you could write a letter to just about every tourist attraction in the country (which stipulate children in their family tickets) outlining your plight.

Frankly, if you can afford to consider First Class return fares in the region of £170 then I'd say you're exactly the sort of passenger who should be paying the full fare!

I've never been to an attraction where it's actually cheaper for two adults to get in with a child than it is for them to get in on their own. Those "family" tickets usually just save money on the full price of two adults plus two or three kids getting in. I don't mind that, in fact I support it, just so long as they don't dumb down the attraction to mainly appeal to kids, but that's another issue altogether.
The "family" railcard is unfair because it's actually cheaper for the adults to travel just because they happen to have a kid with them. Quite apart from the unfairness aspect, from a business case point of view I don't really understand why they do that.

I prefer to travel First class if I can get a decent priced ticket, and this is particularly the case if I'm travelling with the wife. She is not such a fan of train travel, disliking loud personal stereos the most. I have to say I'm losing a little bit of my enthusiasm for train travel as well, also due to loud personal stereos (sometimes you just can't get away from them) but also smaller windows and less leg room. First class is much better, quieter and more roomy (though the view out isn't always that much better these days ! ) but sometimes the price is far too high.
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For £5 you can use the first class lounge at St Pancras on the way back. So just give yourself plenty of time for possible delays (say 5 hours after your scheduled arrival) and then if you're on time, just make your way slowly to St Pancras and then when you are there sit in warmth with free wifi, coffee, tea, papers etc! I did this at Kings Cross, as East Coast do a similar £5 supplement, when flying from Gatwick and travelling to Durham last week and it worked nicely.

We used the First Class lounge at Paddington when we came back on the sleeper and were waiting for Kew Gardens to open ! We only realised that there was a nicer section of the lounge, classic character, to the right of the entrance. We went in the section to the left, but we'll know for next time.
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Just a thought: have a look at Sheffield-Reading (XC) then Reading-Gatwick (good old FGW); a bit of a longer journey, but only one change of train, and none of the hassle of the Underground in London. Should be a bit cheaper than going via London, too.

Good idea. I don't like XC Voyagers but the First class is a lot better than standard, though still some way behind EMT and, particularly East coast.

I think we'll be staying with my parents in Reading and they'll give us a lift to Gatwick, but I feel a bit guilty about it, isn't in over an hour and a half each way ? ! ?
Still, for some unaccountable reason, my folks are keen to see us as often as poss !

 

[WillPS]

I've never been to an attraction where it's actually cheaper for two adults to get in with a child than it is for them to get in on their own. Those "family" tickets usually just save money on the full price of two adults plus two or three kids getting in. I don't mind that, in fact I support it, just so long as they don't dumb down the attraction to mainly appeal to kids, but that's another issue altogether.
The "family" railcard is unfair because it's actually cheaper for the adults to travel just because they happen to have a kid with them. Quite apart from the unfairness aspect, from a business case point of view I don't really understand why they do that.

I dunno about cheaper (although I'm sure this must be the case somewhere), but all the Merlin attractions have family of 3 tickets (2 adults, 1 child) for £1-2 more than the price of two adults.

The reason it exists is because rail can be particularly unappealing to families over taking the family car. Take the journey you're planning - a family would also have to factor in the difficulty of handling children on the train and through 2 London connections. Offering a substantial discount on train fares is a good way of softening the blow.

Add to that the fact that families are more likely to use trains for leisure purposes than the sort of journey you're planning which more often than not means using trains off-peak and on routes besides the relatively busy main lines and commuter lines you frequent; essentially they're likely to fill trains which aren't busy.

Finally, and as with the 16-25 Railcard, the Family railcard gets children and young people in to the habit of using trains from an early age and makes them more likely to consider using the train in to their adult life (and then take their children on the train...).

 

[Justin Smith]

I dunno about cheaper (although I'm sure this must be the case somewhere), but all the Merlin attractions have family of 3 tickets (2 adults, 1 child) for £1-2 more than the price of two adults.

The reason it exists is because rail can be particularly unappealing to families over taking the family car. Take the journey you're planning - a family would also have to factor in the difficulty of handling children on the train and through 2 London connections. Offering a substantial discount on train fares is a good way of softening the blow.

Add to that the fact that families are more likely to use trains for leisure purposes than the sort of journey you're planning which more often than not means using trains off-peak and on routes besides the relatively busy main lines and commuter lines you frequent; essentially they're likely to fill trains which aren't busy.

Finally, and as with the 16-25 Railcard, the Family railcard gets children and young people in to the habit of using trains from an early age and makes them more likely to consider using the train in to their adult life (and then take their children on the train...).

I accept a lot of what you say, but there`s no getting away from the fact that the railways should be giving a dscount for more than one adult travelling together, irrespective of whether there`s a kid travelling with them, for the obvious reason that most adults have access to a car and two can travel together in a car for no more than it costs for one. It was mentioned earlier that Germany offer discounts like this, British train companies should follow suit.

 

[Failed Unit]

Network rail card? Gold card? We do if you live in the south east. However as I have said no discount in first class for family and friends so in your specific case you would be no better off even if it was a group railcard or you had a kid.

 

[MikeWh]

Also, don't forget that some TOCs also offer Groupsave tickets where 3 or 4 adults are travelling together. In the case of 4 adults the discount (50%) is actually better than the usual railcard discount, and you don't need a railcard on top either.

 

[Failed Unit]

I never agree with the YP getting discounts in first class but that could be just envy because I never got it. That said when weekend 1st was only £3 and you could use savers on most trains (and afford them) I can't really complain.

 

[Greenback]

I accept a lot of what you say, but there's no getting away from the fact that the railways should be giving a dscount for more than one adult travelling together, irrespective of whether there's a kid travelling with them, for the obvious reason that most adults have access to a car and two can travel together in a car for no more than it costs for one. It was mentioned earlier that Germany offer discounts like this, British train companies should follow suit.

I agree. When myself and Mrs G travel together we don't get any sort of discount as we don't live in the SE, don;t have kids with us and are too young/old for railcards. In the car two travel almost as cheaply as one!

 

[Justin Smith]

Also, don't forget that some TOCs also offer Groupsave tickets where 3 or 4 adults are travelling together. In the case of 4 adults the discount (50%) is actually better than the usual railcard discount, and you don't need a railcard on top either.

What about 2 adults ? ! ?

 

[button_boxer]

Groupsave is 3 or 4 for the price of 2.

 

[Failed Unit]

What about 2 adults ? ! ?

1. Buy a friends and family railcard, slum it in standard class , when the guard comes along pretend the child that is travelling with you has gone to the toilet, buffet etc.

2. Move to London and the SouthEast and get a network railcard.

3. Move to Scotland, get an advance card and take advantage of the frequent promotions!

I really have difficulty understanding you problem, some of the AP tickets on offer are exceptionally cheap £13 London - Edinburgh! I have recently got a 1st Class return from London - Edinburgh for 2 people under £200 - Try doing that by air or car! BTW it would have cost £50 if I had gone standard!

 

[Greenback]

The problem is that when you are travelling to and from an airport, AP tickets ,ay not be available to fit in with your flight times, and if they are, you then have to take a risk on whether your flight back will be reliable. If your flight is late, or you haven't left enough time to get through the arrivals process, you run the risk that your AP tickets may well be worthless!

 

[Failed Unit]

The problem is that when you are travelling to and from an airport, AP tickets ,ay not be available to fit in with your flight times, and if they are, you then have to take a risk on whether your flight back will be reliable. If your flight is late, or you haven't left enough time to get through the arrivals process, you run the risk that your AP tickets may well be worthless!

But you would be covered by your travel insurance if you have left a reasonable gap.

 

[Greenback]

That's true, but you still have to buy a new ticket and wait for the insurance to pay out, which might take more than your available funds, especially after a holiday!